Cutterhead for debarking logs



June 1, 1954 w WHITLOCK 2,679,870

CUTTERHEAD FOR DEBARKING LOGS Original Filed Aug. 4, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l 59 Fig.1 ET

I8! I84 I8! F .Q

William R. Whit/00k INVENTOR.

June 1954 w. R. WHITLOCK CUTTERHEAD FOR DEBARKING LOGS Original Filed Aug. 4, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 William R. Whit/00k INV EN TOR.

Patented June 1, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE of one-third to Clark W. Adams, Aberdeen Wash.

Original application August 4, 1948, Serial No. 42,506, now Patent No. 2,591,751, dated April 8, 1952. Divided and this application January 28, 1952, Serial No. 268,536

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in cutter heads for debarking logs, the instant application therefor being a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 42,506, filed August 4, 1948, now Patent No. 2,591,751, dated April 8, 1952.

The primary object of the instant invention is to provide a toothed cylindrical cutter head for rotation against a log in longitudinally extending position relative thereto and which is mounted for oscillation on a cutter head carrying shaft to compensate for uneven places and bends in the log and equipped with removable and readily replaceable cutting teeth.

Another Object is to provide in such a cutter head efficient means for mounting the teeth in longitudinal rows on the cutter head with teeth of the rows easily removed and replaced and interchangeable in the rows.

Other and subordinate objects, within the purview of my invention, together with the precise nature of my improvements will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in plan, partly broken away and shown in section, illustrating my improved cutter head, the head carrying frame, and the head carrying shaft and parts of a drive for the head carrying shaft and head;

Figure 2 is a view in plan of the cutter head;

Figure 3 is a view in end elevation;

Figure 4 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a composite, exploded view in perspective of one of the teeth of the cutter head, the keeper plates and the key associated with said teeth, and

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the same.

Referrin to the drawings by numerals, the cutter head of my invention, and designated as a unit by the numeral 59, is mounted, as presently described, in a cutter head carrying frame 5! swingable about a cutter head driving shaft 49 to engage said head 59 with a log, not shown. The frame 5I comprises a pair of side bars 55 connected together by a front tie-rod 59 and a rear tie-rod 59, said bars 55 being swingably mounted adjacent rear ends thereof on anti-friction bearings 5'! on the cutter head driving shaft 46. C01- lars 69 on said shaft 45 prevent lateral play of said bars 55 on said shaft 46.

A cutter head carrying shaft BI is journaled in antifriction bearings 63 in the front ends of the said bars 55. Belt and pulley drives 64 at opposite sides of said frame 5I extend between the cutter head driving shaft 99 and the opposite ends of the cutter head carrying shaft 9I whereby said shaft 46 drives said shaft GI to rotate the cutter head 53 by means presently explained. A gear wheel II6 on the cutter head driving shaft 46 provides for operative connection of the same ,to drivin mechanism, not shown, since the same forms, per se, no part of this invention.

The cutter head 53 comprises a cylinder I99 with annular heads IBI bolted thereto, as at I82, and provided with annular hubs I83. The cutter head carrying shaft 6| for the cutter head 53 extends through said cylinder I89 and hubs I83. Substantially rectangular teeth I84 with beveled working ends I85 are fixed radially on said cylinder I89 in longitudinally extending rows spaced equidistantly around said cylinder, and by means of segmental keeper plates I89 preferably arranged in series spaced longitudinally of the cylinder I89 and bolted to said cylinder, as at I87. The keeper plates I85 have edge notches, as at I88, straddling the teeth I84 and are also provided with edge keyways I89 for receiving keys I99 also received in keyways I9! in said teeth. After the keeper plates I86 are bolted in place with the notches I88 straddling the teeth I84, the keys I99 may be driven into said keyways I 89, I9 I, The heads I8I may then be bolted in place, and, as best shown in Figure 1, overlap the ends of the keys I 90 to hold said keys in place.

The cylinder I89 is mounted on the cutter head carrying shaft BI by a gimbal I92 having an outer ring I retained against an internal shoulder I93 in said cylinder I39 by a bushing I94 held in place in the cylinder I89 by one head ISI. The outer ring of the gimbal is thus fixed in the cylinder I89 at the central transverse axis. The gimbal I92 comprises the beforementioned outer ring I95, an inner ring I95, and an intermediate ring I91. The outer ring I95 is pivoted, by a pair of diametrically opposite studs I98, on the intermediate ring I91 which is similarly pivoted by a pair of diametrically opposite studs I99 on the inner ring I96, the studs I 99 being co-planar with the studs I98 but in 90 degree angular relation thereto. The outer ring I95 is keyed, as at 299, to the cylinder I89, and the inner ring I 96 is keyed, as at 29I, on an enlargement 292 on said shaft 6|. Bushings 293 on said enlargement 292 and nuts 294 on said enlargement retain th inner ring I 96 against slipping sideways. Dust caps 295 are secured to the bushings 293 and to the outer ring I95.

The ball bearing assemblies 296 on hubs I83,

the rods 2H) and elements 2 l3 are equalizing devices for yieldingly maintaining the cutter head 53 parallel with the cutter head carrying shaft 5 l and need merely be identified in passing since the same form, per se, no part of this invention.

As will be seen, the described gimhal l92 provides for universal rocking, or oscillation, of the cutter head 53 laterally on the cutter head carrying shaft Bl to compensate for uneven places and sweeps, or bends, in the log being debarked. The teeth I84 are especially designed to break up bark and knots on a log and brush the same on a log and the described construction cf the cutter head 53 provides for easy and quick removal and replacement of teeth I84 in any row.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suhice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications, as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A cutter head for rotation against a log to deoa-rk the same comprising a cylinder adapted to be rotated, longitudinal rows of teeth on said cylinder, arcuate keeper plates secured to and fitting fiush against said cylinder with edge notches straddling the teeth of the rows, and edge keyways therein, said teeth having keyways therein opposed to the keyways in the keeper plates, and keys slidable in opposed keyways and acting in conjunction with said notches to hold the teeth in place.

2. A cutter head for rotation against a log to debark the same comprising a cylinder adapted to be rotated, longitudinal rows of teeth on said cylinder, arcuate keeper plates secured to and fitting flush against said cylinder with edge notches straddling the rows of teeth, and edge keyways therein, said teeth having edge keyways therein opposed to the keyways in the keeper plates, keys slidable in opposed keyways and actt ing in conjunction with said notches to hold the teeth in place, and heads on said cylinder fitting against the ends of said keys and confining the keys therebetween.

3. A cutter head for rotation against a log to debark the same comprising a head carrying shaft adapted to be rotatably mounted, a cylinder surrounding said shaft with the shaft extending therethrough, a gimbal supporting said cylinder in the transverse center thereof on said shaft for rotation thereby and pivotal oscillation laterally about right angularly related axes relative to the shaft, cutter teeth on said cylinder, and means to removably hold the teeth on the cylinder comprising keys extending longitudinally of the cylinder, said teeth having transverse keyways therein engaged by said keys, and heads on said cylinder fitting against the ends of said keys and confining said keys therebetween and being annular and loosely surrounding said head carrying shaft to provide for oscillation of said heads with said cylinder.

4. A cutter head for rotation against a log to debark the same comprising a cylinder adapted to be rotated, longitudinal rows of teeth on said cylinder, arcuate keeper plates secured to and fitting flush against said cylinder with edge notches straddling the teeth of the rows, and edge keyways therein, said teeth having keyways therein opposed to the keyways in the keeper plates, and keys slidable in opposed keyways and acting in conjunction with said notches to hold the teeth in place, a shaft for rotating said cylinder, and a gimbal supporting said cylinder in the transverse center thereof on said shaft for rotation by said shaft and oscillation laterally relative to the shaft about right angularly related axes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 604,776 Morton May 31, 1898 833,261 Tardif Oct. 16, 1906 1,283,736 Graham Nov. 5, 1918 1,603,352 Paxton Oct. 19, 1926 1,664,083 Miller Mar. 27, 1928 1,736,970 Haas Nov. 26, 1929 2,449,605 Kelton Sept. 21, 1948 

